Cooking for people different caloric requirements.

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Why not just cook food an you have smaller portions and he has bigger portions? I'm the cook in my family and my wife doesn't need nearly the calories that I do...so she just takes smaller portions of whatever I cook and I take larger ones.

    Also, very jealous...oh the glorious ice cream I could consume if I could maintain on 4,000. As it is I maintain on roughly 2700 or so which is still about 800 - 1000 calories more than my wife needs.
  • MrsBingley
    MrsBingley Posts: 145
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    Thanks for the advice. I think the biggest takeaway is that I need to add nuts and other high-calorie-but-less-junky snacks to the grocery list.

    To clarify from my original, my husband is not making demands on me in regards to food. If he is still hungry, he can and certainly does feed himself, but since he doesn't know how to cook, it's always convenience food, which is doing a number on his system. I could teach him to cook, but making two meals still adds to the total household workload. I was just looking for food ideas that are easily modified.

    Thanks again for the suggestions.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    My calorie target is about double my wife's. We both cook, but sometimes she makes low calorie dinners. Last night was something like 245 (lol). Works for her, is a nice tasty snack for me. Then I'm looking at needing another 800+ calories to round out my day. I could easily cook up something tasty. But...

    We have a blender. Smoothies are very easy, very yummy, and can get right on target with macros. Even someone who can't cook can throw stuff in a blender. Variety of tasty ingredients, and healthy for whatever definition you want to use.
  • SakuraRose13
    SakuraRose13 Posts: 621 Member
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    I have a husband who is 5ft 11 at 170 or 165 he has always been slender and he needs all the calories he can get since his job burns a crazy amount and he works 12 hr shift so she hardly eats and he is on 3rd shift , I have to remind him to eat and make him food so he has something otherwise he doesn't eat really .

    I'm 4ft 10in so my calorie intake is almost half of his and our daughters ages 19.5 months and 3 need all the calories too , my ped put them both on pediasure oldest is petite like me, my youngest is of average height for her age but slender.

    I live in a house where Im the only one who has to worry about portions and calories

    my husband likes junk food and steak potatoes asparagus, green beans corn and Mexican and Italian food , no sour cream and loves cheese but one can not suffice just on meat and cheese and he doesn't eat many veggies ,

    I told him to get protein powder he did but he never remembers to take it :) love him but he needs to start treating his body better its the only one he has

    A way I make his calorie intake higher is by adding cheese, whole milk , rice, and rice adds up quickly I noticed just 1 cup of white rice is 160 calories without anything even on it . 1 oz of cheese 110 calories hence why I don't eat much cheese these days and of course ground beef and bread since bread adds up to , sandwiches are a good way to add things
    meatballs with sauce and melted mozzarella and a sub roll is a good way and the same meatballs and sauce can be used for pasta for others .

    hope that helps
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
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    I'm in a similar situation with my husband. I generally add fats to his food that I leave out of mine (butter, cream, extra sauces, etc.) and double his portions.
  • Lexandreia
    Lexandreia Posts: 82
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    Nuts or nut butters. Vegetables such as eggplant or mushrooms soak up a ton of oil so you can lightly sautee your portion and pile on more olive oil for his. Whole-grain blends, wheat breads, wild rice and beans are all calorically dense as well. When you cook I guess you can cook each portion of his meal after your own, a little oil on yours and a lot more on his.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    Just serve every meal of his with a side of carbs (rice/pasta/bread) is an easy way and what I often do for my boyfriend. I like the idea of adding cheese and nuts also.

    I'm not sure what kind of things you like to cook but I often make curries and add lite cocnut milk to lower the calorie content. You could try separating yours out before you add the coconut milk and put cocnut cream in his. Also for a pasta dish add pesto to yours and pesto and full fat cream to his.

    Another option is just to get him on the smoothies/shakes. Load these up with nut butter, full fat milk, fruit, seeds, protein powder etc.
  • MrsBingley
    MrsBingley Posts: 145
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    Why not just cook food an you have smaller portions and he has bigger portions? I'm the cook in my family and my wife doesn't need nearly the calories that I do...so she just takes smaller portions of whatever I cook and I take larger ones.

    Also, very jealous...oh the glorious ice cream I could consume if I could maintain on 4,000. As it is I maintain on roughly 2700 or so which is still about 800 - 1000 calories more than my wife needs.

    Haha! For normal humans, this is fine, but while my husband needs a huge amount of calories, his stomach does not seem to be larger by volume than other people's. He quickly runs into indigestion if he tries to eat enough calories of most "normal" "healthy" food, like rice and grilled chicken.
  • MrsBingley
    MrsBingley Posts: 145
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    The problem is, My husband needs an insane amount of food to maintain his weight (he's a lean 187, 6'4"). If he eats less than 4000 cals/day, he loses weight. (I know many of you won't believe this, but he is metabolically abnormal-diagnosed)

    i hate him

    It really really isn't fair.
  • Klarini
    Klarini Posts: 9 Member
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    I usually cook a meal with a bit of olive oil and then a bit before it is finished I separate a portion for me and add more olive oil to the food left in the pot/pan and cook some more. I also add butter, cream, cheese to the meals saved for my husband and children. For me, I usually cut out those from recipes as they are too calorific, but for them I make full version meals.
    Sometimes when I don't have time for this (although it really adds just a bit of extra time) I cook a version that is somewhere in the middle - so not full version, but not a "skinny" version either and than I cut on my portion size and add a bit more food to their plate.
    Adding carbs like pasta and rice would work too.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    Sauces and gravy on the side for him. Making a quick butter or cheese sauce is less time than a whole separate meal.
  • VelvetMorning
    VelvetMorning Posts: 398 Member
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    I spent some time fantasizi-I mean, pondering what I'd do if I had to eat 4,000 calories or so a day. I would eat so much pasta. And hot dogs. And pretzels. And potato chips. Also Hungry Man dinners! Make him manicotti, strangolapreti, penne ala vodka, pasta fagioli, baked zitti, stuffed shells, baccala alla romana, ice box cake, pizzelles, zabaione, tortellini etc. I wouldn't even know where to begin on guessing the calories on these dishes, but I'd say that each MUST be at LEAST 2,000. This is why Italians are fat. The beauty of these types of recipes is that whilst they are probably out of the picture for people watching their calories, they aren't entirely unhealthy or filled with 'junky' foods (I'm not by any means claiming these are totally healthy, just not totally junky). I'd imagine these are healthier alternatives than my original suggestions (hot dogs, potato chips) and places like Mc. Donalds and Taco Bell.

    ...which I would go to a lot.

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